San Benedetto, Catholic church in central Bologna, Italy

San Benedetto is a Catholic church in central Bologna with a light-filled interior arranged with five chapels on each side. The semi-circular windows above let light flood in and highlight the decorated ceiling that stretches across the space.

San Benedetto was founded in the 12th century. Its facade was designed by Giovanni Battista Ballerini in 1606. In 1892 the church's orientation was reversed: it had faced Via Galliera, where the old facade still stands beside the bell tower, and now faces Via Indipendenza.

Inside, the church holds paintings by Giacomo Cavedone, Alessandro Tiarini, Cesare Aretusi, Lucio Massari, Ercole Procaccini the Elder and Ubaldo Gandolfi, plus a sculpture by Angelo Gabriello Piò. The bell cell houses a ring of four bells cast by the De Poli foundry of Udine and hung for the "alla bolognese" sound; the three largest are electrified for full-peal ringing.

The building is located along Via dell'Indipendenza and sits easily within walking distance of the city center. You can plan your visit during daytime hours as the church is open to visitors throughout the day.

When the city was redesigned, the entire facade of the building was rotated 180 degrees instead of being demolished. This unusual solution shows how the city preserved valuable structures while adapting to new urban plans.